Catching up with a wonderful friend!

I had the honor of meeting Simone Elkeles, author of the Perfect Chemistry and the newly released Wild Cards, several years ago. As the years have passed, I've been blessed to get to know Simone on a personal level, and I can tell you that she is one of the funniest and most amazing ladies I've ever had the honor to know. Not only is she a wonderful woman, but she is an amazing writer and storyteller. Her books are my "go to" books that I use to get a reluctant reader to read. I've used them hundreds of times with hundreds of kids, and every single time, without fail, Simone's books hook them. As a result, I've got a new reader for life. And this is all because of Simone Elkeles.

This evening she was in town promoting her new book, Wild Cards, and she invited me to dinner to catch up before her evening signing. What a great time to be able to catch up and hear how things are going in her life and share what I'm doing in the classroom with the help of my colleagues to get kids to read. In fact, we had a few fans from school come out to meet with her tonight, and she took the time to meet with them despite her packed schedule.

I just want to thank Simone for all she's done for kids by telling stories that they want to read and connecting with her fans in a way that means so much to them. I know from personal experience the abilty she has to connect with teenagers. She continues to change lives, and I'm proud to say that she's my friend. If we are lucky, Simone will be writing for decades to come. The world needs her!